LEE, Ernest Wilson
(Service number 6/491)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 02/10/1891 | Place of Birth | Temuka, New Zealand |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 14 August 1914 | Age | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Royal Hotel Temuka, New Zealand | ||
| Occupation | Farmer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | 2nd (South Canterbury) Regiment | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mr J. Lee (brother), Temuka | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | Main Body | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Canterbury Infantry Battalion | ||
| Date | 16 October 1914 | ||
| Transport | Tahiti or Athenic | ||
| Embarked From | Lyttelton, New Zealand | Destination | Suez, Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Infantry Battalion | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Egyptian & Gallipoli | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal | ||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 21 July 1964 | Age | 72 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Palmerston North,New Zealand | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Kelvin Grove, Palmerston North | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Ernest was born at Temuka on 2 October 1891 to of Henry & Catherine (nee Dawber) Lee, proprietors of Lee’s Hotel Temuka. He was admitted to the Temuka School on 5 October 1896 and passed standard 4 in October 1901.
Before joining up he gave his occupation as farmer and was working for Mr E. Jones at Mt Nessing, Albury. Enlisting at Timaru on 14 August 1914, he gave his current address as the Royal Hotel Temuka, and was described as being aged 22, single, 5 foot 6 ½ inches tall, of dark complexion, hazel eyes, weighing 127 lbs, chest 33 inches, having good teeth and of the Anglican faith. His brother, J. Lee of Temuka, was listed as his next of kin. Ernest had been a territorial soldier with the 2nd South Canterbury Regiment and he was to serve with the Canterbury Infantry Battalion (2nd South Canterbury). He left Timaru Railway Station with the 3rd and 4th contingents on 17 August 1914, being farewelled by the deputy mayor, Mr W.A. Pearson. On 16 October 1914, he embarked from Lyttelton with the Main Body on the SS Tahiti or Athenic, for Suez, Egypt. After service in Egypt, he embarked from Alexandria for the Dardanelles on 12 April 1915. On 1 September 1915, he was admitted to Cairo Hospital with chronic dysentery. Found unfit for further war service, Ernest was invalided back to NZ on SS Tahiti 20 November 1915, arriving back in Wellington near the end of December. After spending some time in Timaru Hospital, he was discharged from the army 3 July 1916. Ernest received the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal for his service to the Empire.
In 1918 he married Kathleen Monica Wilson and they farmed in the Patea and Waitotora districts until his retirement to Palmerston North. Ernest died at Palmerston North on 21 July 1964, aged 72, and is buried in the Kelvin Grove Cemetery.
Sources
Auckland Cenotaph database, Archives NZ (Personnel File), NZSG Index V5, Papers Past, NZ BDM Historical Records
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Ted Hansen (SC branch NZSG)
Currently Assigned to
TS
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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